San
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Wednesday, July 8,
2009 Belize's Only Daily |
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KIA Field trip to Bacalar Chico
Valentine Rosado, CORAL’s field
representative in Belize, continues on
his efforts to bring together stakeholder groups from across the
country to collaborate on local conservation initiatives that support
standards implementation, reduce reef threats, and create meaningful
opportunities for local communities to save their coral reefs by
supporting marine protected areas.
 One huge effort is education and through
this the Kids in Action (KIA)
program was implemented. Through the program, students have the
opportunity to visit marine reserves and parks to find out the
importance of the region and how to help in the conservation efforts.
This part Saturday, KIA was back in action and this time a trip to Bacalar Chico was in order.  At Chac Balam, students were taught about
the importance of mangroves,
the various mangrove species found within Belize, and just how the work
they way they do.
 At Rocky Point, students found the massive
rock formations very
interesting. They took time to explore and wade in the shallow waters.
 Traveling through the lagoons, Rosado
explained the importance of these valuable water systems.
 Maya pottery was also seen and Rosado
described the Mayas route between Mexico and Belize at the time trade
was at its peak.
The KIA trip was made possible through the kind assistance of Ramon’s Village and captain Heriberto Palma. For further information on KIA contact Valentine Rosado at 602-2100.San Pedro Sun Belize gets first 5 infections of Influenza A (H1N1) 
We start tonight’s newscast with the
confirmation that the swine flu or
the Influenza A H1N1 has spread to Belize. At news time, the Ministry
of Health is confirming that results from CAREC today indicate that
there are five cases of the influenza in Belize. The cases are all from
the Corozal district and are linked to patrons of the Casinos in the
Free Zone. The five persons in question are being treated and are
recovering at home. The ministry is awaiting the results of fifteen
other suspected cases. Of particular note, the ministry states that
there is no need to limit any mass gatherings at this time which would
indicate that the casinos will remain open.CH5
More land titles issued within
reserves
On Friday we reported that government had
reversed approval of surveys
given for three parcels of land in the Swallow Caye Sanctuary just off
Belize. According to the Ministry of Natural Resources, there was not
due diligence in the internal checks when the surveys were approved.
But tonight there are fresh reports about part of another reserve that
has ended up in private hands. News Five has copies of two titles which
show that portions of a natural reserve in the south have been sold
off. The areas are in the Blue Ground Range, which falls within the
South Water Caye Marine Reserve in the Stann Creek District. The titles
show that two point four two acres were sold to Keran Estephan of
Hopkins Village for fifteen thousand seven hundred and thirty dollars.
The document carries the signature of the Minister of Natural
Resources, Gaspar Vega and Carlos Jimenez, who signed off on the titles
on November twenty-seventh 2008.
The second title is given to Emily Sarmiento of Hope Creek Village. These two point one two acres of land is also within the Blue Ground Range. Sarmiento paid thirteen thousand seven hundred and eighty dollars and her documents, signed by the same parties as in the first case, were made official a few days later on December third. Before the South Water Caye area was declared a reserve in 1996, a number of persons were granted legitimate titles within the area. But since then no new titles should have been issued. According to reports, the Fisheries Department has on several occasions expressed concern to the ministry that titles had been given out to individuals since the area was declared a reserve. We wonder if the Ministry of Natural Resources did any internal checks in this case.CH5 CARICOM Dev Fund
representative in Belize 
The CARICOM Development Fund is a mechanism
established in 2008
under the revised Treaty of Chaguaramas to provide technical assistance
and financing in respect of the CSME. For the past two days,
representatives from the C.D.F. are in Belize consulting with
stakeholders to find out the areas in which Belize is being affected by
the CSME implementation. The delegation will also meet with Prime
Minister Barrow and officials of the Central Bank. News Five was at the
press conference late this afternoon where C.E.O. of the C.D.F., Lorne
McDonnough, says that not only government, but the private sector will
be able to access the funds.
Lorne McDonnough, C.E.O., C.D.F. “The C.D.F. is to finance projects and loans in respect of the issues of expanding export of goods and services intra-regionally and extra-regionally. So we have a reactive and a proactive response rehabilitating or expanding production of domestic goods and services in areas negatively affected by the CSME operation. There are a few projects aimed at restructuring the economies of disadvantaged countries by diversifying the range of goods produced and also the services produced. And there's gonna be two projects that create positive benefits for the recipient but for other industries and sectors and to increase efficiencies and promote regional integration through the consolidation of multi-country economic and social infrastructural development.” According to McDonnough, Belize’s Dr. Carla Barnett will sit as vice-Chair on the Board of the C.D.F. CH5 PM says global crisis
is the focus of CARICOM 
We reported on Monday that Belize has handed
over the rotating six
month chairmanship of CARICOM to Guyana. At the four-day summit over
the past weekend attended by the PM, there were several pressing
regional issues tackled by the Heads of Government. At the Philip
Goldson International Airport on Monday, the PM said that steering the
Caribbean community out of the global financial crisis is one of the
priorities for the region.
Prime Minister Dean Barrow “The global financial and economic crisis is affecting the entire region. On that my position is well known. I staked it out at the UN conference on the matter. CARICOM has agreed that a number of prime ministers, a core team, will begin now to do the lobby work in the various international capitals to try and mobilize additional resources and to try to ensure that the IMF and the World Bank treat with our countries in a far more flexible fashion. I declined joining the mission because I know that there are very, very serious issues that require my immediate and focused attention in the immediate future here at home. But I left open the possibility of coming on as things begin to develop.” “The issues were dominated or the conference was dominated by issues having to do with the single market. We’re a little bit out of the loop but the free movement of people has been causing some problems in the eastern Caribbean. There have been accusations leveled that Barbados, that it is not living up to its free movement commitment and that visitors or immigrants from Guyana and from the eastern Caribbean, especially St. Vincent and the Grenadines have been shabbily treated by the Barbados Immigration Authorities. The Barbadian Prime Minister I think was able to address that fairly satisfactorily and so it appears that that aspect of the integration movement is back on.” CH5 NOTICES
LETTERS TO THE EDITOR My grandson stepped into the
house to put on mosquito repellant
and when he returned to the beach within 5 mins, an opportunist thief
stole my black double paddled kayak paddles. It has "Palen" on the
handles. Please if you see anyone
with them , notify me---226 4464 Natalie
THOUGHT
OF THE DAY
Don't handicap your children by making their lives easy Robert A. Heinlein
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